"Our Elite Have Failed Us"

 I snagged this from "SSG" Or the Security Studies Group, a Next Generation Think Tank.  I will use their stuff if I think is pretty good and usually it is.  I have commented about this, it seems that our "Betters" who have gone to all the right schools and have all the right connections, don't have the best interest of our country anymore.  I remember back "in the day" those that graduated from an ivy league school were expected to behave in according to a certain code, sure get rich was acceptable, even lauded, but not at the expense of the country.  This new bunch of "Betters" we have, they don't care about the country, they want to stick it to the country and to the West, they have been indoctrinated by their schools and their echo chamber to despise their country and the West not realizing that all the benefits of a modern civilization are only possible by living in the West.

 

Age beyond age on British land,
Aeons on aeons gone,
Was peace and war in western hills,
And the White Horse looked on.

-G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse

Iran struck Erbil today with missiles launched openly from its own territory, aimed apparently at the American consulate there. They didn’t manage to hit it, which isn’t very surprising; the reason the Iranians want nukes so bad is that their missiles can’t hit anything well enough to be worth something without a nuke.

The Biden administration via the State Department issued a statement that reads as if they regard it as a matter for criminal investigation by the local authorities, rather than the clearest possible act of war.

Coming from somebody else, that might seem like a kind of strong answer: a statement that ‘Your best efforts to hurt me aren’t really worth my notice.’ Coming from this administration, it’s anything but that. They’re allowing Russia — even now — to negotiate a deal they hope to make with Iran, which will let them develop those nukes they want so much. It’ll also allow Russia another outlet to escape the sanctions the Biden administration claims to be so proud of imposing.

Once they get this deal, the administration will claim victory. Iran will build nuclear weapons. Russia will evade sanctions. Eventually, those missiles Iran’s government already aren’t afraid to fire at our diplomatic missions will have teeth.

This is being done by the people who claim to be the top experts on national security and diplomacy in the entire world, as J. Michael Waller pointed out. They’re from the best schools; they were shaped by the finest institutions. Like our generals were, the ones who took no responsibility whatsoever for the collapse and destruction in Afghanistan. These are the elite, so we are told.

Our systems for producing elites are manifestly broken. They worked for a long time, but they are broken now. Like the Roman cursus honorum, a series of offices of increasing honor and power that a  leader would go through, they used to ensure that our leaders had the right experience to carry out their duties competently at each new level. For a long time, America’s systems kept our world secure by providing competent leaders who each knew their jobs, had each been prepared at every level for the next duty.

That no longer works. There is no way to deny the evidence of our eyes. It is not just our leaders but our systems that have failed. We have no choice but to find a new way of choosing leaders, and to replace those who were brought up in the old system. That can be done thoughtfully, or it can just be allowed to happen when the system collapses under the weight of its accumulating failures. Either way, it is coming fast.

 

The Chinese are learning to use our "Wokeness" against us.

 

Our enemies are using "our Wokeness" against us like I figured they would, I wonder and highly suspect that Chinese intelligence is paying or financing the activities of Antifa and other groups, because it is in their interest to weaken the United States.  President Trump was the first President in 20 years to stand up to the Chinese and not cave to them.  the Chinese view the 21st century as "Their Century" and they want the West and the United States to pay for what they perceive as their humiliations from the opium wars and other things from the 19th century to the present time.  You mix marxism with mandarism and you get the CCP in a nutshell.  The Chinese have been targeting the United States for the past 20 years, I remember when Bill Clinton sold the Chinese Missile guidance technology for a "Donation" to the Clinton Foundation, and the media didn't bat an eye because he was a democrat and the media back then covered for the democrats.  Now we have the Chinese stealing our technology from our universities, and they have been targeting our politicians, especially the democrats, apparently Dianne Feinstein had one on her staff and Eric Swalwell (D-Chinese) has been caught up in a honeytrap and he has the audacity to blame the GOP and President Trump...

Most Americans probably missed a bizarre event at the United Nations this month. At a U.N. Human Rights Council review on November 9, China joined several other nations in condemnation of America’s alleged racism and xenophobia. These nations included Western states like Australia and Switzerland, as well as well-known human rights respecters like Iran and Syria. China’s representative on the council, Jiang Duan, offered nine recommendations to the United States. All the points appeared plagiarized from Black Lives Matter.

1. "Root out systemic racism, address widespread police brutality and combat discrimination against African and Asian Americans.
2. Urge politicians to respect people’s right to life and right to health, and stop politicizing and stigmatizing the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Take holistic measures to eliminate rich-poor polarization and social inequality.
4. Combat the increasingly severe religious intolerance and xenophobic violence.
5. Stop incarcerating migrants, including migrant children, and guarantee the rights of migrants.
6. Address proliferation of guns and guarantee people’s right to life.
7. Lift unilateral coercive measures immediately and refrain from infringing upon human rights of people of other countries.
8. Stop torture in anti-terrorist operations, halt military intervention in other countries and stop killing civilians in military operations.
9. Stop interfering, out of political purposes, in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights."
10. China tells us to embrace open borders, neuter police, enact racial wealth redistribution, impose gun control, and eradicate our “racist” heritage to achieve a perfect human rights record. The Communist state has a . . . well, let’s call it a less than stellar human rights record. It’s a little hard to take seriously on this matter a state that operates actual concentration camps, but it’s also difficult to take the U.N. as anything other than an expensive joke. It’s an organization that does little to stop actual human rights abuses while lecturing Western nations on proper gender pronouns and the mythical wage gap.As should be obvious to any person with a room temperature IQ, China does not actually care about “systemic racism.” Neither does it care about Donald Trump’s tough immigration policies. It just uses these common left-wing tropes to deflect from its own human rights abuses. Point nine gives China’s game away. The ChiComs just want America to butt out of their affairs; they hope wokeness proves an effective weapon to accomplish that. Our chief global adversary is beginning to learn that wokeness may prove a valuable tool to undermining American power. China formally endorsed Black Lives Matter this summer. Yet even then, the Chinese fumbled this response. One government spokesman said “all lives matter,” which infuriated left-wing activists. The same spokesman had earlier tweeted “I can’t breathe” in response to George Floyd’s death. The Chinese aren’t fully up to date with woke demands, but the UN list shows they’re learning quickly.

At the same time, the Chinese actively suppress ethnic minorities and BLM at home. But that doesn’t matter to their propaganda goal. Many western liberals will likely fall for this nonsense if it means they can own Trump, conservatives, or “racists.” Many liberals and media outlets turned into enthusiastic China cheerleaders during the coronavirus outbreak just to stick it to Trump. The same could easily happen if China continues to “clap back” at America’s alleged “systemic racism” and police violence.  There will likely come a day when Chinese representatives point to police shootings, slavery, lynchings, or some other American sin when asked about their concentration camps and ethnic cleansing. The ChiComs will say America is far worse due to these crimes and our media will prove helpless to rebut these accusations. BLM claims America’s sins are worse than those of any other country; our liberals and journalists will never dispute that. Thus, China could easily come out looking like the real human rights champion thanks to our own ideological insanities.Wokeness is a vulnerability to America and the West. French President Emmanuel Macron, of all people, understands this. He recently accused English-language media of “legitimizing violence” against France with arguments that the nation’s “racism” and “Islamophobia” is responsible for Islamic terrorism, not the jihadis themselves. Macron’s education minister attacked intersectionality—a product of left-wing American universities—for encouraging Islamist separatism and undermining French values.Like China, al-Qaeda and ISIS have also shown support for BLM. America’s enemies get that wokeness is a weakness and love to exploit for their own advantage. 

Wokeness is a threat to our national security and it’s about time our elites recognized this.

Conversation on Facebook and our political system

 I have commented repeatedly that the people that want to gut our 2nd amendment rights are perfectly happy to let the government have guns and these people whom are statist and believe that the government is all knowing and all doing and is this benevolent master, they have this parent child relationship with the government.  I and many like me view government as a necessary evil and our founders put checks and balances in the system including the 2nd amendment to prevent the government from "getting to big for their britches" to use a southernism. 

 The elitist are pushing the latest shooting to try to disarm the American people, especially the middle class, the bulwark against the elitist that would try to rule be imperial fiat.  In a lot of countries, there are the very rich and the poor, there are no middle ground.  in those countries, the rule of law is the same, there is one rule for the rich and one rule for the "great unwashed".  The middle class is a check on the unfettered desires of the 1%ers that do desire to rule because they are "our betters".    I first heard of the 4 post of our political system from a now retired talk show host by the name of Neal Boortz.  After the recent shootings, this is a reminder of what can happen if tyranny disguised as the "caring liberals" makes an appearance.

The 4 boxes of the American Political System.

  I had posted this back when I first started blogging.  I will repost since it is pertinent to today's discussions on government and overreach.   The 4 boxes of the American political system work like this:

      1.    The Soapbox :  I can stand on a soapbox and criticize the power structure and the politicians and not get thrown in jail and sent to a gulag or get asked "Where do you want your remains sent to?"

     2.  The Ballot Box:  I can vote for whomever I want without fear of being thrown into prison for supporting the "Wrong candidate" or being wrapped in a tire and set on fire.

     3.  The jury box:  I can feel confident that the rule of law will apply equally to everybody without regard to station in life. and due process isn't being asked "which ear do you want the bullet?

     4. Cartridge box:  You open the 4th one when the others are threatened and get the first 3 back.

I clipped this off faceplant,   

Liberal idiot stridently insists that the AR-15 round is uniquely powerful and terrible. I explain that muzzle energy is the commonly accepted metric for determining how powerful a round is. And that the AR-15’s .223 round has 60% less muzzle energy than the .30-06 and 30-40% less than other common deer hunting rounds.
Liberal idiot then insists that the .223 round is much deadlier because it’s much faster. I explain that the muzzle energy formula takes velocity into account and that the .223 has about the same velocity as most deer hunting rounds and is only about 10% faster than the .30-06.

Liberal idiot then insists that the .223 round is especially deadly because it’s a lighter round (!). Speechless, I start to explain that muzzle energy directly correlates to mass, so a round that’s half as heavy will have half the muzzle energy, assuming the same velocity.
Then I stop, bid him adieu and delete his messages. And hope my IQ recovers by Monday.
Folks, THIS is the degree of stupidity we’re dealing with. They literally know NOTHING about guns and aggressively refuse to learn even the most basic facts. We can’t reason with people who are intentionally and insistently uninformed. And any Republican Quisling who makes nice with these fanatics should be kicked out of the party.

Here we go again....Another Elitist and "sensible gun restrictions"

I saw this link to the Daily Beast and some gentleman named Shawn VanDiver is proposing some what he calls "sensible gun restrictions" to avert the next tragedy.  My comments will be in black. Here is what he is proposing:

The fact is that thousands of deaths all across our country can be prevented with solid intelligence sharing and common sense regulation. Between 83% and 91% of the country supports background checks for all gun purchases and yet, somehow, this simple provision is consistently written out of proposed legislation. It is time that we make this a permanent policy priority rather than a set of talking points to be rolled out alongside the names of our next shooting victims.    We have a background check run everytime we purchase a firearm at a retail settings.  Now private sales are just that...private sales.  The average gun owner will not sell a firearm to a person that LEGALLY cannot own one.    Now he also has to mention "Victims"  gotta roll out the emotionalism when making a statement.  

I am proud gun owner. I’m also a single father. I do not want to ban guns but I do want to protect my son from the dangers they pose.

I love my guns, and I’m no hypocrite. But I love my son more. I love taking him to school, a movie, or simply around the block without fearing for his life. It is dangerous and shortsighted to require so little of our fellow gun owners, because—as 11-year-old Hunter’s case tragically shows—they hold the very lives of those around them in their hands.

Again rolling out the emotionalism...gotta try to dance on the blood of the innocents again.  But liberals run on emotionalism....logic is beyond them.  

So what can we do? The best proposals are all about common sense and moderation—too often four-letter words in politics. Background checks and mental health evaluations for all gun owners, on a five-year verification cycle, would be a great first step.  I already covered background checks now they throw in the "Mental Health Evaluation" every 5 years like owning a firearm is some mental illness and the person that believes in owning a firearm is somehow a mental defective.   Also having a Obamacare mandated Dr giving me a mental health exam somehow screams * you are screwed*

Requiring licenses and negligent discharge insurance would be part of common sense reform. Much like vehicles—which are also key pieces of personal property that can take lives when they are operated irresponsibly, firearms should require a license to own and operate. A tiered licensing system could apply to different types of weapons. Insurance could cover any damages caused by negligent discharge, and skyrocketing rates might prove discouraging for repeat offenders.  Now he is rolling out the "lets treat guns like cars and license and have insurance on them. with a tiered system for pistols and if you own a EBR(Evil Black Rifle) you will pay lots more money to what ever insurance company the government mandated....kinda like Obamacare.  And remember cars are regulated by the feds under the "Commerce clause"   I vaguely recall something about the 2nd amendment  A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

     Our   rights to bear arms is not to be infringed...especially from the government.  What the government givith...the government taketh away.    Our rights to self defense is both a natural right and a right that was codified under English law before the constitution was written.    So basically   "no"   

Prudent limits need to be imposed. We should consider putting a cap on the number of firearms purchased for personal use. Allowances could be made for licensed gun dealers, but home protection and hunting require don’t require individuals to keep an arsenal. At the very least, misdemeanors such as DUIs, drug charges, and white-collar crimes should be added to the list of crimes that preclude offenders from owning firearms.

By whose definition is an "arsenal?"   Your friendly neighborhood anti-gun senator?   again the term is subjective by whose definition...It is not any body business what kind of guns I own, I have multiple firearms for multiple roles.  There isn't a one size firearm for all uses....firearms are not crescent wrenches.   Also adding to the number of crimes that would preclude ownership of firearms is death by 1000 cuts, it is to whittle down the number of gun owners to almost zero.  

Opponents will no doubt ask how we intend to pay for all of these new requirements. A tax on ammunition and weapons manufacturers and end-users seems like a relevant place to start. With $617 billion spent to fund our national defense, we can certainly grab a billion or two to fund these lifesaving reforms.   What is with liberals and taxes....lawful gun owners already pay a multitude of taxes.  Also mentioning the national defense budget....why not go after the entitlement programs....Oh wait...the democrats need those to buy votes to keep themselves in power.  

For some gun-rights advocates, no amount of smart budgeting will change their mind because for them any attempt to restrict firearm ownership amounts to an assault on liberty. But most sensible people, even those who own guns and value the 2nd Amendment, understand that the exercise of rights requires some trade-offs. After all, a majority of NRA members support background checks too.    We lawful gun-owners have compromised enough, it seems for common sens gun restrictions...we have to give up something every time there is a call for common sense gun control, we lawful gun owners have to give something up....it is for the sake of "Compromise"   As I look through my well worn oxford dictionary the word compromise is basically each person gives something up to work out a deal.  Well what does the anti gunner give up.....Not a damm thing....we are the only ones that compromise every time.  The comment of "majority of NRA members support background checks" is a red herring.  He is trying to cloak his gun restriction agenda under the guise of compromise.

Tragic assaults on public safety by dangerous people are only part of the problem in the United States. A good guy with a gun can turn into a bad guy due to one slip up or a simple misunderstanding and an itchy trigger finger. It’s time we prioritize the debate on gun control and see some real change.

  Again the demagoguery "itchy trigger finger..?"  The average gun owner knows well the ramifications of having to use their firearms....the Zimmerman trial was an example of this.  Zimmerman defended himself against Trayvon Martin and he was pilloried by the media.  and certain members of society.  

This is the biggest fear of the average gun owner....But we know that we are ultimately responsible for ourselves...not the government.

Reasons to own a firearm.

1.  It is your INALIENABLE RIGHT to provide for self-defense and defense of others.
2.  In a violent attack, a firearm is the single best tool for protecting hearth and home.
3.  Criminals AVOID armed people and those they think are armed. 

4.  Obama just released 36,000 violent illegal aliens from prison.
5.  Bad people are not scared away by harsh language but 230 grains of jacketed hollow point through the gourd works pretty good.
6.  Criminals are criminals because they break the law and taking from you and yours means nothing to them.
7.  YOU are responsible for YOUR self-defense and safety.
8.  Criminals, like the ones Obama and ICE and Eric withholder just released are AMORAL. They have no problem raping, robbing, assaulting, or murdering you to get what they want.
9.  Sometimes governments have gotten too big for their britches and need to be "pruned."

FACT:  About 6,850 times a DAY Americans LEGALLY use firearms to protect themselves. (FBI)
FACT:  In every state were concealed carry laws have been passed, the murder rate and crime rate has lowered and in gun-free zones like Chicago, the murder and crime rate has skyrocketed.
FACT:  The right of the people to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed.
FACT:  Roughly 200,000 women in the US use firearms to defend themselves against sexual assaults. Imagine if Paula Jones had had a firearm handy...
FACT:  Gun ownership has exploded in the USA (Obama-NRA Gun Salesman since 2009) yet firearms homicides are down 40% (FBI).
FACT:  In the UK, a strict NO GUN nation, violent crime is 4 times higher than in the USA.
FACT:  In the NO GUN UK, 125% more women are raped than in the USA.
FACT:  In the NO GUN UK, 133% more violent assaults are committed.
FACT:  In the NO GUN UK, they have the second highest overall crime rate in the EU!
FACT:  In the GUN BAN city of Chicago, in 2012, they were designated the "deadliest global city." Imagine, Chicago more dangerous than Kirachi,

Shawn VanDiver is a 12-year Navy veteran and adjunct faculty at three universities teaching military studies, national security policy, homeland security, and international security and trade. He manages corporate security and enterprise risk at a major tech company. He is a member of theTruman National Security Project’s Defense Council. Views expressed are his own.

Now I like to do a bit of background research on events and people...it is responsible journalism  But I am a blogger and I try to be accurate as possible.   I do research on people, especially people that are running on his bonifieds as a "responsible gun owner.... and a navy firearms instructor and veteran"   Well it is apparently that this Shawn is a member of Obama's "Organizing for America"  Here is the Link

The Vagabond supports Barack Obama(Meeting)

Meeting of Barack Obama supporters at the Vagabond kitchen, located in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego. There will be a 5% discount on all food and drink, as well as a 10% donation to Barack Obama's campaign. Ask for Shawn at the door. Please RSVP so we know how many to prepare for.

Time:

Host: Shawn VanDiver

Contact Phone: 619-756-9518

Location: The Vagabond (San Diego, CA) 2310 30th st San Diego, CA 92104

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• Yahoo! Maps

  We have this elitist tool spouting off crap and they are hoping that people will accept his credentials and buy off on his bullcrap.  This guy is a hack for the Obama administration and he is trying to play himself off as the "average American."    What a load.  This guy reminds me of that Army colonel that pushed his version of "gun control" and he really had pissed Me Off  Now we have this guy trying the same time.   I will use the same response that I used to the colonel.

Weather Channel Anchor says that she was fired over Military service.

I hope that she can prove every thing that she had said...Sticking it to Reservist and Guardsman is deplorable.  
Saw this on Fox

Weather Channel Anchor Says She Was Fired Over Military Service

Jun 7, 2012

By Todd Starnes
A former anchor at The Weather Channel is suing the network after she said she was fired over a dispute involving her military service.
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Nicole Mitchell, an Air Force Reserve Officer and a member of the “Hurricane Hunters” team, has accused The Weather Channel and NBC of discrimination and violating her rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.
Mitchell said she began to experience harassment about her military service just after The Weather Channel was purchased by NBC, Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Court papers allege NBC bosses made explicit complaints about her military service schedule and created a “hostile working environment” for the anchor.
Mitchell, who holds the rank of captain, was an on-air meteorologist for The Weather Channel from 2004 until 2011 – when her contract was not renewed. She is a highly decorated officer who flies aboard a “Hurricane Hunter” and her military expertise was especially noted during the network’s hurricane coverage.
But after the network was purchased by NBC/Universal, Mitchell said network executives ordered her to get clearance before agreeing to any military assignments.
“I was told in an email, ‘before you agree to military duty, you need to clear it through us first,’” Mitchell told Fox News Radio. “If you don’t show up for orders, you could be court-martialed.”
The Weather Channel released a statement to Fox News Radio declining to comment on the specifics of the case.
Spokesman David Blumenthal said the network “is committed to creating a work atmosphere free of discrimination and in compliance with The Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment rights Act of 1994.”
Blumenthal said some of Mitchell’s allegations were inaccurate, but declined to provide specific examples.
“We disagree with many of the assertions in the plaintiff’s press statements and intend to vigorously defend the matter in the arbitration process,” he said.
Lance LoRusso, Mitchell’s attorney, called The Weather Channel and NBC’s behavior “deplorable.”
“It is not a matter of providing lip service and saying you support the military,” he told Fox News Radio. “You cannot interfere with their service. You cannot provide harassment or a hostile environment to them and if you do – you are subject to sanctions.”
An incident involving a missed hair appointment seems to be where Mitchell’s career at The Weather Channel.
LoRusso said his client received a telephone call ordering her to appear for a Sunday hair consultation.
“They said quite clearly, ‘this is non-negotiable, no excuses,’” LoRusso said.
But Mitchell did have an excuse – she was on weekend military duty – and Mitchell had given the network advance notice of her responsibilities.
“She was told that was not a good answer,” he recounted. “They gave her a hard time, but she stuck to her guns.”
It wasn’t long before she was transferred from a Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. anchor shift on “Your Weather Today” to a Monday-Friday, 10 p.m.-2a.m. shift.
And LoRusso believes she Mitchell was removed from her star role because she’s a weekend warrior.
“Here we truly believe that the scheduling and the fact that her Reserve duty was up against a schedule of NBC and The Weather Channel – was a motivating factor in their decision,” he said. “That is illegal.”
Mitchell joined the Air National Guard when she was 17-years-old – and the network was well aware of her military commitments when she was hired, LoRusso said.
“It’s not a matter of courtesy,” he said. “It’s a matter of obligation. Our military cannot function as a volunteer force if the individual employers can control when our service members can appear and when they shouldn’t.”
LoRusso noted the irony of NBC’s sponsorship of a pro-military campaign called, ‘Got Your 6’ – vowing to support service members.
“Well, you should start in house,” he said.